Welcome To RealSchooling.blog!

RealSchooling.blog is the official blog-site for RealSchooling.com. I founded RealSchooling.com with some very specific goals in mind. I wanted to give homeschoolers the chance to have the best education possible – not because homeschoolers lack something that students in traditional schools possess. It is because they have something that students in traditional schools lack: freedom! Homeschoolers (in most states) have the freedom to pursue their interests, the ability to redefine every aspect of their approach to education and the ability to greatly exceed any student in a traditional school setting – if they are given the right tools. That statement isn’t meant to be an attack on the traditional schools, though. It is just the practical reality of a student’s ability to hide amongst the other students, combined with the practical limitations placed on any teacher with more than a few students. For instance, if little Johnny is scoring 80% on his math tests, he doesn’t understand some portion of the material. However, the entire class cannot wait for Johnny to grasp the concept – they must move on to the next topic, because the needs of the group exceed the interests of the individual student.

Sorry, Johnny.

So, why did you choose to home school? There are certainly many unique situations and specific factors, but, I’d argue that there was only one legitimate reason that unites all of us. Whatever the specifics were, you chose to home school because it is what you thought was best for your kids. You believed so strongly that it was the best thing for them, that you were willing to defy convention and social norms; you were willing to face criticism and interrogation from every corner. That takes true bravery and speaks volumes about how far you will go to give your kids the best opportunities that you can.

However, as homeschooling parents, we wage wars on every front. From the outside, we defend our decisions. Many of us struggle to maintain a balance between trying to prove something to the outside world and focusing on giving our kids what they need. Inside the fortress of our homeschool, we battle with our kids to get them to stay on task, do the work that needs to be done, lesson plan, and maintain our sanity. Then there’s that war that we wage internally – the one where we wonder if we are measuring up… with public school, or with our kid’s potential, or with someone’s expectations.

Often, lost in the chaos of actually homeschooling are all the cool things that made you want to homeschool in the first place. The chance to dive deep into a topic; to take the classroom to a battlefield, laboratory, or museum; to get to enjoy time with your kids while they learn. RealSchooling.com was created to give parents the opportunity to homeschool the way that they always wanted to homeschool. The name Real Schooling came from the idea that we have the chance, as homeschoolers, to turn school into what it should have always been; into what real education – real schooling, actually is. Even if you don’t take any of our classes, I thank you for taking the time to check out our blog and invite you to make the most out of our blog and podcast, because I genuinely believe you will find something of value here. It may be encouragement, insight, or direction, but there will unquestionably be something of value.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Hoffmann, Founder of RealSchooling.com and RealSchooling.blog

Published by thereluctantcommentator

Where to start? Husband; Father; Son; Brother; Friend; Small Business Owner; Attorney; Bassist and Lead Singer for Don't Tell Lucy; Ice Hockey Coach for the NJ Stars; Ice Hockey Player; Adventure Seeker; Reluctantly... a Social Commentator.
View all posts by thereluctantcommentator